All throughout the long van ride, I could not stop thinking about the trip ahead of me. Two days, one night in the middle of nowhere… how awesome! As I sat in the crowded van, I started to imagine what the trip would be like. I imagined the teeming trees, the colorful and blooming flowers, and all of the creatures that my inquisitive eyes might glance upon. Just this thought amazed me and rejuvenated my cramped body. Soon my imagination was put to the back of my brain and my “real” senses were brought forward.
The van stopped at the trail head, all five of us got out and started up the trail to heaven. As I headed up the steep and winding trail, I looked all around me so that I would not miss a thing. Not even a little mouse could scamper past without my knowing it. At first, everything was just how I had imagined it. So peaceful and relaxing, it seemed almost impossible that we had left the van only half an hour ago. As I was hiking, I noticed the yellow and purple flowers growing among the small, green plants.
As I continued to hike upward, my breath began to get short. I tried to regain it, but I could not. My legs were going one mile an hour without my knowing it. I no longer could concentrate on my surroundings.
I had to focus myself on making it to the rest stop. Finally it comes. I can see this tall guy with blonde hair and a red coat on up ahead. I took a deep gasp of relief. It is Dave, our fearless leader, with the rest of the group. He is the signal to me for a break.
The Essay on Hiking The Appalacian Trail
I remember exactly what I felt as I stepped out of the truck and into the afternoon sunlight. I was at Lehigh Gap, a drop-off point where the Appalachian Trail meets highway 873 near Lehighton. A group of friends and I were being dropped off to begin our three day journey to Eckville, another drop-off point southwest of there. I turned to face the trail and was surprised to see quite possibly the ...
A break where I can sit down and rest my tired body on the grassy ground; fill my hungry stomach with energy-filled trail mix, and regain my awareness to the area around me. I felt as though this break lasted for only one second. Before I knew it, we were all up and hiking through the same beautiful country side-the tall trees, plentiful purples, yellows, and greens. We were up trying to find a campsite, a flat area with an already made fir ring in or near it, before the sky darkened into a pale blue. Three breaks later five exhausted and sore people found an area to call home. It had enough flat space to roll out our warm, cozy, colorful sleeping bags and a flat spot to cook our dehydrated food.
It was a wonderful home. However, we were only there for one short painful night. The next day we were up just as the sun was beginning to rise out of the east. We were up at the crack of dawn so that we would not be late to meet the other half of the group at the trail head. Todays hike is really relaxing. Almost all down-hill and nothing to worry about except the area surrounding you and your aching body.
It was so peaceful that today could have flown past without me even knowing about it. One moment we are going down into a green, flat, flowery valley, and the next we are back on flat dirt paths. It is so unreal how the scenery changes so quickly. Before I even knew it, I was back in the smelly, cramped van heading home. Despite how short this trip was, it was still awesome because it gave me a taste of what nature has in store for me. I will never forget the mental images, the colors and the unbelievable hills and valleys, that this trip has imbedded into my brain..
